Jack Ebling - Tales from the Detroit Tigers Dugout: A Collection of the Greatest Tigers Stories Ever Told

Copyright 2007, 2012 by Jack Ebling

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

ISBN: 978-1-61321-084-0

Printed in the United States of America

N o one person can tell the story of a proud franchise. Fortunately, no individual needs to do that.

The 111-year Major League history of the Detroit Tigers has been written by more than 1,500 players, 37 managers and millions of dedicated fans.

Without them, this book doesnt happen. And its time to salute themthe great and the very good from more than a century of American League baseball.

Particular thanks to the 2006 and 2011 Tigers, who made the game fun again. That credit starts at the top with Dave Dombrowski and Jim Leyland and filters down to the 25th men on those rosters. Their passion for winning was greatly appreciated.

But there were others who helped with their time and input:

Brian Britten, Rick Thompson and Elizabeth Allison of the Tigers media relations staff.

Al Kaline and Willie Horton from the playing field and the front office.

Ernie Harwell, a friendly voice, then a friend for more than 40 years.

Joe Falls, Jerry Green, Lynn Henning, Drew Sharp, Gary Gillette, Larry Lage, Crystal Evola Krauskoff, Shireen Saski, Dan Dickerson, Mario Impemba, Rod Allen, Fred Heumann, Gary Mellor, Dave Matthews, Dave DeMarco, Carl Angelo, Andy Flanagan, Jason Beck, Amanda Blay, Earle Robinson, Tom Crawford, Lynn Torrico, Marty Makinen, Jeff Caminsky, Steve Silverman, Nancy and Jim Keskeny, Camron Gnass, Chip Mundy and dozens of other writers and broadcasters living and deceased.

And especially Marti Martin, my eyes and ears at Comerica Park when I couldnt be there.

Special thanks to Mike Pearson, who fought for this project six years ago, and Laura Podeschi and Meg Distinti, editors with patience.

Finally, an apology to the rest of the familyRobin, Zach, Alison, Mary and Mags (the lab, not the outfielder). If Ive been gone too much or buried at the computer, I hope you understand why.

And Mary, it wont be long until your Grandpa Jack can take you to the ballpark the way his mom and dad, Jake and Marge, did more than 50 years ago. I hope you like more than the Ferris wheel.

Jack Ebling, January 1, 2012

How the 2006 and 201112 Detroit Tigers were Built

I t was a six-month root canal. Nearly every day meant a new drilling119 losses in all. But that was nine years ago. And after the careful brushing and flossing of a franchise, few American League baseball teams have better teeth than the Detroit Tigers.

None could, if you ask their devoted fans. With a club-record 26 sellouts and a regular-season attendance of 2,595,937, not counting six packed houses in postseason play, Detroits turn-around in 2006 carried over to the turnstiles.

In 2011, the count for 81 home dates reached 2,642,045, plus five crowds of 40,000-plus in the playoffs. And the average television rating in Metro Detroit increased by 17 percent to nearly 123,000 households per game.

None of that could have happened without a major financial commitment from owner/director Mike Ilitch, including a new nine-year, $214 million deal with free-agent slugger Prince Fielder, the biggest shock of a stunning 2012 offseason. But for a four-year minor leaguer with a total of three home runs, Ilitch hit it out of the park with Little Caesars Pizza and the Detroit Red Wings long before he took over the Tigers in 1992.

But Ilitch, 82, would be the first to tell you that every big hit or clutch catch the past six seasons was made by a player, not the teams owner. And the men who made those performances possible were president, CEO and general manager Dave Dombrowski and his first choice to manage the Tigers, a motivated Jim Leyland.

Jim and I go back a long time, Dombrowski said in 2007 of a tandem that won the 1997 World Series with Florida. If he has that fire and passion in his belly, Jim is one of the best in baseball. I had to see if he had that again. But hes not going to mislead you. Hes going to tell you. And when he does, youre getting the consummate manager. He can be as tough as anyone when he has to be.

Tough jobs are everywhere. And when Dombrowski came to Detroit from the Marlins after the 2001 season, he took over a team that was 66-96. As president and CEO, he also inherited general manager Randy Smith and manager Phil Garner. Neither man made it to 2003 with the Tigers, as Dombrowski took on the GM duties and hired Luis Pujols, then fan favorite Alan Trammell as manager.

You have to go back to 2001, Dombrowski said. We had to make intelligent observations and get people on board we could trust. The blueprint was similar to the one for Florida. But how we would get there was somewhat different. Here we needed to regroup and rebuild and develop a winning attitude. That can take a long time.

It took too long for everyone at Comerica Park except some grateful visiting teams. Detroit slipped to 55 wins in 2002, then to 43 the next year, nearly setting a Major League record for ineptitude. After a nice jump to 72 wins in 2004, a trip on the treadmill produced 71 victories and meant Trammell had done all he could.

I feel bad for any manager whos fired, Leyland said six years ago. And I feel particularly bad for Alan Trammell. He didnt really have a chance his last year. Ive said it all along, if (Carlos) Guillen and Pudge (Ivan Rodriguez) and (Magglio) Ordonez are out of our lineup on a consistent basis, we wouldnt be worth a shit, either. Thats the way it is. But people dont want to hear that.

Fans want to hearor better yet, seesix things happen:

1. Their teams front office is aggressive and intelligent in making tradeswithout sacrificing their favorite players.

2. Their team is able to acquire important free agents without breaking the bank and having to raise ticket prices.

3. Their scouts and general manager can identify and sign top amateur prospects to provide hope for brighter days ahead.

4. Their teams manager can communicate with stars and scrubs, never coddling players or locking them in the doghouse.

5. Their managers baseball decisions are sound, from his handling of pitchers to his preference for long ball or small ball.

6. Their teams oldest players still perform with off-the-wall passion, while the youngsters play a lot smarter than their years.

Oh, and one more thing. Their team needs to win much more than it loses and should play long after the 162nd game in late September.